Yusuf al-Qaradawi har uttalt: "[The] declaration issued by the Islamic State is void under sharia and has dangerous consequences for the Sunnis in Iraq and for the revolt in Syria", adding that the title of caliph can "only be given by the entire Muslim nation", not by a single group. Strange, Hannah (5. juli 2014). «Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi addresses Muslims in Mosul». The Telegraph.